He is hot, sexy and one of the most charming hunks on television. Single but not ready to mingle, Rithvik Dhanjani talks about how Balaji Telefilms and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa have contributed to his stardom

Rithvik aka Arjun talks about his chemistry and friendship with Asha Negi, the good and bad of the television industry and his broken heart.

How has your journey been with Pavitra Rishta?

It has been nothing less than adventurous, a blessing; it’s just been awesome. I was playing a completely negative character in Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani when this offer came to me, so it was a complete shocker. I was offered a positive character like Arjun, which came as a blessing and has been going good till date. This show has given me everything. I made my identity ‘coz of Pavitra Rishta and Balaji Telefilms. I will be eternally grateful to them.

How was it working with Balaji Telefilms?

I have only worked with them and frankly, I don’t want to step out any more. Right from my first show, Bandini, Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani and now Pavitra Rishta, all have been with Balaji Telefilms. I have been a Balaji boy; it’s like home to me and I’m way too comfortable here. I’ve known everyone on the sets and in the production house for more than three and half years and it has been great.

How is your chemistry and equation with Asha Negi aka Purvi?

I think whatever I am; it’s mainly because of this chemistry. I never thought it would click so well between Asha and me. I believe even the audiences love it, that’s why it is so popular. Secondly, we just enjoy working together. We are really close and great friends. Our off screen chemistry is so brilliant that it automatically gets transferred onscreen. I am really glad I got Asha Negi as Purvi, ‘coz no one else would be able to do this role better than her.

What about your chemistry with your childhood friends and wife Ovi?

Ovi and Arjun are childhood friends, but he loves Purvi. As a character, Ovi is very interesting to watch, ‘coz she can do anything, any time. She is absolutely unpredictable. And Shruti Kanwar is a brilliant actor, who has grown tremendously in these past years, both as an actor and as a person. I have seen her journey and it’s mind blowing.

How similar or different are Rithvik and Arjun?

There is absolutely nothing similar between the two. Arjun is not as strong as he looks – he has this softness that Rithvik doesn’t possess. Rithvik would never let his love go, would never cry and definitely not make so many sacrifices. Probably the only similar factor between the two is that both of them love their mom very much. I love doing scenes with my mother even if it’s with a photo frame; that’s the only emotion I truly connect with.

Tell us something about Pavitra Rishta you like and what you dislike…

I like the authenticity and simplicity of Pavitra Rishta. The concept of a mechanic falling in love with a middle-class girl is simple beautiful. Moving into our love story – when Arjun, a high-end business man falls for a chawl girl, how he does things for her, becomes a mechanic, gives up his luxurious lifestyle and sacrifices everything to get her, is awesome. It may not be the most believable thing at times, but the concept is nice and that’s what I like. The story is the strongest point of PV. There is nothing in particular I dislike about the show; it’s more to do with television in general. We tend to dramatise a lot. Reactions sometimes don’t seem natural. Reality is a little bit different, but then television is like that, even though I don’t connect with it at times.

Do you think television is regressive?

I think it is regressive – actually more than regressive, it is repetitive. For the past eight to ten years we’ve seen the same stories over and over again. Take hit shows Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi or Kasauti Zindagi Ki – they had set a standard. But people have been copying that for generations – the look, the feel and sometimes even the story – but you can’t make a KSBKBT again. When a novel show like Balika Vadhu came into the market, a lot of people ran into villages to find a story. That’s not how it works. Just ‘coz one thing worked doesn’t mean it all will. I think TV should open up more to crisp and beautiful concepts and stories. Luckily we have a wonderful set of writers in the industry with a lot of talent, but it does not get explored well because of the medium. We purposely try to cage it in the ‘idiot box’; things will change if we believe that it’s a 70mm screen and people are here to watch a movie. A few years ago such stories did come with shows like Banegi Apni Baat, Rishtey, Hip Hip Hurray, Family No 1 and Just Mohabbat. I remember as a child I would wait all day to watch these weekly shows. It’s a vicious circle and TV will turn around and come back to it eventually. But when it becomes a daily soap, it becomes monotonous and that’s what we need to break out of.

What is your dream role?

My dream is to one day be in films and do something no one has ever done before. I want to do a role that will make people remember me even ages after I am gone.

Have you caught up with any of your friends’ movies?

Yes, I always watch all my friends’ movies. I have yet to see Ruslaan Mumtaaz’s I Don’t Love You.I recently saw Sushant Singh’s Kai Po Che, which is a superb film, and I want to mention Rajkumar Yadav’s brilliant acting. Basically, I do watch as many films as I can.

Besides your own show, do you have any other favourites?

I don’t follow Indian fiction on television. However, when it comes to non-fiction, I follow Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. It’s simply superb.

How did Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa change your life?

It changed everything. It gave me an identity, which is something very difficult to achieve in television. Even today people will recognise Sushant Singh Rajput as Manav more than anything else. The character becomes so strong that people don’t distinguish their real identity. Post Jhalak, people came to know who the real Rithvik is. It gave me an identity separate from my character. What more can an actor want!

Are you dating anyone currently?

Not at the moment. It’s been really long, and I don’t want to any time soon either. Currently, I am just focusing on my work. In short, I am single, not ready to mingle.

So there’s really nothing brewing between Asha Negi and you?

No, we have been close friends. Asha is too close to me and we are very comfortable with each other. We somehow manage to connect very well with each other. We are like kids who are great friends. People have been creating stories looking at our closeness, but we are just friends. And we have no issues with people talking about it.

So any crushes?

I’ve only had one crush for a very long time now, but unfortunately she is married. She is Sania Mirza. So let’s not add salt to the wound by talking about it, please. It hurts!

They are just two of the several Gujarati shows on air currently that are doing extremely well

Gujarati culture came right into Indian drawing rooms with the popular television show Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka in 1999 and, after more than a decade, it is still one of the strongest flavours on the tube. Those based in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra too abound on the small screen. Be it a weekly or a daily soap, the regional flavour is everywhere. But Gujarati shows dominate. Shows like Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Ram Milaayi Jodi are continuing the trend that started 13 years ago and hit a high with Baa Bahoo Aur Baby and Khichdi.

From showing a typical Gujarati household to their festivals, functions and colourful wardrobe, the shows spread the vibrant colours of the state to the remotest parts of the country. Actor-director Jamnadas Majethia, the man behind Khichdi and Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, told IANS: “I believe out of all, Gujarati and Punjabi cultures are the ones that almost everyone recognises. They are very colourful communities with a rich literature and the scope of entertainment is also much more than others. Shows based on these cultures get more TRPs. So for makers it becomes easier to do a show with a Gujarati or a Punjabi background.” Thanks to these shows, popular Gujarati dishes like khakra and thepla have become popular among the masses.

Of course, other regions too have been highlighted. Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Tere Liye revolved around Bengali families, while Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Geet…Hui Sabse Parayi and Preeto were about Punjabi families. If Maryada is set in Haryana, Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha is set in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya is based in Uttar Pradesh and Afsar Bitiya is the story of a Bihari girl.

For producers, placing a show in a specific region or a culture makes production much easier. “When you give a show an identity like Gujarati, Punjabi or Marwari, it not only makes the viewers connect with the show but also helps makers in giving a background to the show in terms of costume, jewellery, dialect or characters,” said Rajan Shahi, producer of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, the story of a Marwadi family.

If people sitting in Bihar or Jharkhand these days know about Gujarati or Marathi culture, it is to a large extent because of these daily shows. “TV shows based on Gujarati, Marathi or Marwadi cultures have made audiences all over the country aware of the customs and rituals of different regions. The shows have broken barriers and brought people together,” Suzana Ghai, creative director, Star India, told IANS. “If the audiences are from that region, they know about it and watch it with more interest. If they are not, they want to know about different cultures and watch the show. So both ways, the shows gain popularity,” she added.

Also makers and writers from different regions are keen to tell stories about their part of the world. “I am a Gujarati myself and I know the state very well. So it becomes easier to play a Gujarati character or make a Gujarati show. Also, it’s a culture I have in-depth knowledge of,” said Majethia.

The trend of such shows is here to stay, said Ghai. “The makers are always in search of new ideas and keep experimenting. So we will see more shows based in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or other regions,” she said.

It’s not that generic shows have stopped being made. Bade Acche Lagte Hain and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge are general in approach. The focus is more on the story instead of the regional background. “But I believe this trend will take some time to take over. Till then regional shows will continue to hog the limelight,” Shahi said.

The ‘khallaas’ girl is usually seen as a glam doll, but with her soon-to-be-released Shabri, she is all set to break the mould and wield the gun, that too in a totally non-glam avatar

She spoke to us about how attached she is to the character she plays in Shabri and Bollywood’s need to have more films revolving around women and children.

When you heard the story, were you concerned about the trauma you might face during the shoot, physically and emotionally?

The moment I was narrated the script of Shabri, I knew this was one role that would define my career. Just before I got it, I had prayed for that role of a lifetime that would help me make a mark as a serious actor, in a big way. I consider bagging this role divine intervention. At that point I was mentally prepared to take up any challenge that came my way and Shabri did. Playing a character this real is a dream come true for any actor and I jumped into it without thinking about the physical and emotional repercussions. As I sank into the character, I realised what I had got into, because the role is so demanding and, with a fiercely passionate director like Lalit Marathe at the helm, things were certainly not easy. Shabri has been shot in real locations (slum areas) and it took me almost four hours a day to get in and out of the makeup. The best acknowledgement of my efforts came from the crew, who thought I was some slum-dwelling troublemaker and tried to chase me out of the shoot. That was the best high for me!

Which women-centric films have made an impact on you?

There are few films that have really made an impact on me, like Nargis’ Mother India, Nutan’s Bandini, Meenakshi Sheshadri’s Damini and Kajol’s Dushman. It is unfortunate that such films are so few and far between.

Films based on women and children get step-motherly treatment in Bollywood – what do you feel about this?

The problem here is that heroes are not ready to take a backseat. There is a huge void as far as women and children-centric films are concerned, but Bollywood is so obsessed with the superstar hero and his arm-candy heroine format that there is hardly any place for experimental cinema. I think it is high time the heroes stepped back a bit and made way for films about female protagonists. Even female actors should push the envelope when it comes to doing films that are not just about being seen with a superstar and accept it as their claim to fame. Bollywood should start experimenting more with film genres than re-churning the same mundane love stories. Shabri is definitely a step in this direction and it is sad that it took so long to release, but all is well that ends well.

Given that the censor board has become more accepting, do you think a film like Shabri would do better with expletives and bold scenes thrown in?

Shabri is a woman of few words. So the gradual loosening of the censor board would have no impact on the storytelling. It is more an action-oriented film than a dialogue-oriented one. I am not saying that it is your typical Bollywood action film, but you have to see it to believe it.

What do you think about the obscenity and swearwords being freely used in films?

While I personally don’t advocate the usage of foul language, at the end of the day, it is the character that is being portrayed. As I am very open to taking up challenges and risks, I would do any role that would excite me as an actor. Spouting swearwords or donning swimwear is fine with me, but only if it adds substance to the film.

Do you think women still have to compromise, even in modern society today?

Not only in India, it’s a worldwide phenomenon that women have to put their egos aside to keep their families together. Whatever growth has happened in the world, the status of a woman has always been secondary in the male-dominated world. There are some rare occasions when the latent power of a woman comes out and that becomes their Shabri moment. I think every woman has a Shabri within her; it is only a matter of how far you push them, so they snap out of their usually docile and caring nature.

Would you have done an intense film like Shabri after you got married?

Of course! This is one role that is really close to my heart and my husband is also extremely proud of it. Had the movie not been released, I would have gone ahead and released it on my own. There are a few other films of mine that haven’t seen the light of day, but Shabri is one that I will take to my grave – I am that attached to it. The director (Lalit) has already written a sequel to Shabri and I am really excited to take it to the next level.

Those who have seen the film say that yours is an award-winning performance…is it?

In all practicality, who remembers these awards a few years down the line? It is just an exercise to massage egos and feel good about your work, but beyond that it doesn’t mean a thing. From what I hear, most awards are rigged and aimed at getting TRPs. As I said earlier, I got the biggest award for this role from the crew of Shabri who couldn’t even recognise me on the sets, as I was so much into the character. For all the hard work and passion that was border-line obsession, we really don’t need any further validation and we are happiest that the film is finally being released.

Who do you think is the most convincing gangster in Bollywood?

As of now I think Ram Gopal Varma has made the best gangster films in Bollywood, but I think even Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are doing a good job of making films in this genre.

The veteran actor lost her battle with cancer

The Hindi film and television industries were left shocked at the demise of veteran actor Rasika Joshi. Rasika had been suffering from cancer for some time now and she finally succumbed to it on Thursday, July 7. A graduate from the National School of Drama, Rasika was one of the few actors who could convincingly essay positive, negative and comic characters. She was best known for her portrayal of Taru Fui in the television serial Bandini. She had been fighting cancer even before she joined the show, but refused to give in. Last year, her condition worsened and she had to undergo blood transfusion. Due to this she had to take a break from the show. However, she fought back with great determination and returned to the show soon. She had just recently signed on to play a character based on Neeraj Grover’s mother in Ram Gopal Varma’s Not A Love Story. She had earlier acted in his other films like Darna Zaroori Hai, Vaastu Shastra, Gayab and Ek Haseena Thi among others. May her soul rest in peace.